1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print system, a printer, and a content server.
2. Description of the Related Art
These days, public networks such as Internet have become widespread explosively. Therefore, ordinary users have come to be able to download content data from a content server distant from the users via the Internet and print this data by their own printers.
For example, when a content server connected to Internet collects data on photographs of professional entertainers in a content database, a user can access the content server which manages this content database via the Internet. Then the user can download a photograph of an entertainer he or she wants from the content database to his or her own computer and print it by a printer connected to this computer. On the occasion of this download, a provider who provides the content server charges the user suitably for it, whereby a service business pays.
However, a mechanism to prevent unjust copy print is not provided in content data on photographs and the like downloaded from the content server by the user. Accordingly, the user can print the content data downloaded from the content server by the printer any number of times. In this case, it can not be said that a copyright on the content data is sufficiently protected.